Some Thoughts on the Educational Merits of the Game of Chess

Some Thoughts on the Educational Merits of the Game of Chess

(Phil Shapiro at pshapiro@his.com previously published…)

The movie “Searching for Bobby Fisher” helped make many people more aware about the educational benefits of chess. The following article discusses some of the school-sponsored chess projects currently underway around the country.

Berkeley, California

At more than a few schools around the country chess playing is being promoted as an afterschool activity. One of the most successful afterschool chess projects was launched about eleven years ago by a parent-volunteer in Berkeley, California.

Elizabeth Shaughnessy, a former chess champion, organized an afterschool chess project at her children’s school in Berkeley. Her chess enrichment project has since expanded to 30 other private and public schools in the Berkeley area.

New York City

The American Chess Foundation has also been getting into the game, with their “Chess-In-the-Schools” project. This latter project promotes chess playing “in inner city schools with high populations of at-risk children.”

Teaming up with the Manhattan Chess Club, the American Chess Foundation helps organize tournaments and arrange for chess instructors to visit the New York City schools. Teachers have found that students who become involved with chess develop a much improved attitude to their academics.

The Palm Report

Back in 1990, the American Chess Foundation funded a study to investigate the educational benefits that accrue when inner-city students are introduced to chess. A 37-page study was produced by educational researcher Christine Palm. Copies of this study can be purchased from the Foundation for $2 a piece. (Including postage). A discounted price applies if you’d like to order larger quantities of this study.

Here are a few inspiring quotes from the “Palm Report”:

“The most wonderful thing about chess is the way it transforms people from the inside out,” believes John Kennedy, a NYCHESS teacher who spends several hours each week in New Yorkschools like C.I.S. 166. “Once they’re exposed to the instruction, kids get chess fever. And once they get hooked, their desire to apply themselves soars. The ability to concentrate — really concentrate — takes a quantum leap the minute chess sinks in.” p. 14

“Then too, there are equally dramatic stories of children blessed by good homes and intellectual prowess. Along with the troubled kids, there are students like K.K. Karanja, who at age 15 is a candidate master (the third highest level of proficiency in chess) and the top player in his age group in the United States. In the simultaneous match played last year against World Champion Gary Kasparov at P.S. 132, the Bronx, Karanja managed to draw.” p. 19

“One of our Special Education students, Tracy Elliott, was featured on the PBS series ‘The Mind.’ She was not playing chess when she came to our Special Ed department. When the camera zeroed in on Tracy’s face, what you saw there was hard to describe. There is something about the expression on her face in that film that lets you know you can’t leave her alone. You
have to work with her to help her develop her potential. With chess, it’s so easy to see.” Testimony by Florence Mirin, teacher, C.I.S. 166, Roberto Clemente School. p. 25

“Chess is one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever seen enter the school system. It’s a tragedy the Board of Education can’t do chess throughout the schools.” Testimony by Oscar Shapiro, parent of student in P.S. 9 p. 27

The end of the Palm Report gives citations to articles that have been written about the chess-in-the-schools project. One of the most interesting sounding articles appeared in the June, 1989, issue of Reader’s Digest magazine. The title of this article is: “From Street Kids to Royal Knights.”

The Chess-in-Schools Video

Following the old maxim that “seeing is believing,” the American Chess Foundation has also produced an inspiring short video on the New York chess-in-schools project. This eight minute video is available from the Foundation for $10, postage included.

The video starts off with an interesting quote from Goethe: “Chess is the touchstone of the human intellect,” and then goes on to show live examples of chess-training activities taking place in the New York City schools.

> One teacher in the video comments: “Chess teaches patience, foresight, long-range planning, and the ability to find alternative solutions.” A special education teacher, Nadine Kee, has the following to say about chess’s influence on her special needs students: “When students start playing chess, you can see the [academic] improvement immediately. From the first day when a child learns how to move a pawn, you’ll a difference in their attitude, their behavior, and their
success in school.”

The video ends with students briefly telling what the game of chess means to them. You can’t help be touched when one of the students earnestly says: “Chess, to me, is like music to a musician.”

Educational Literature About Chess

After having viewed the chess-in-schools video and having read the “Palm Report,” I was curious to see what other articles or papers might have been written on this subject. A search through the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database turned up two papers that had in-depth discussions on the educational merits of chess.

The first paper I uncovered is a passionate position paper on the educational merits of chess. Written in 1983 by Oregon junior high principal Ralph L. Hall, the paper contains hauntingly eloquent remarks about the educational value of chess.

I jotted down notes from a few of the more stirring passages:

“Chess requires that individuals become actively involved in a mentally demanding competition; its effects are stimulating, wholesome, and healthy.”

“Chess is a game of ‘quiet intensity.”

“To the players, the game is like an unfolding drama. Tension builds and a crisis is reached which decides whether or not there will be a happy ending. The players live through the emotions of an exciting story.”

“Chess masters subject themselves to much the same kind of discipline as that of great music composers. Success at the highest levels in both art forms comes from: constant practice and study; memorizing; trying new ideas; developing a unique style; holding to an unwavering faith in personal ability; and genius.”

“Chess success is an intellectual achievement appropriate for schools. It belongs in schools because: it is a fascinating game; it can provide a lifetime hobby; it has international appeal; it requires a minimum of resources; and, it demands that participants exercise their best powers of planning, memory, decision-making, judgment, creativity, and concentration. For these reasons alone, all schools should be providing opportunities for the learning and practicing of chess.”

The second article I uncovered was a 1986 paper, “Chess and Education,” by Memphis State University educational researchers Dianne Horgan and David Morgan. Their writings examine chess as a game that helps reveal how expertise develops in the human mind:

“We are interested in the more general question of how expertise develops. The classic expertise literature includes studies of chess. In fact, chess has been called the ‘fruitfly’ of cognitive psychology because of its centrality to our understanding of cognition. Chess has been important in the study of thinking because it pushes human information processing to the limits of their cognitive abilities.” p. 3

These researchers also examine chess playing ability as part of the nature/nurture debate. They were particularly interested in finding whether exceptional chess ability is inherited or learned.

Rather surprisingly, their research revealed that exceptional ability can indeed be learned: “…we found at Auburndale, as well as at other schools, a particular chess coach consistently produces strong players, year after year — even though the specific children move on. In most cases, the parents [of these children] know little or nothing about chess.” p. 5

I chatted on the phone last week with the Foundation and found out that the American Chess Foundation is not a membership organization. However, if you are interested in supporting their exciting work, I imagine they would appreciate monetary contributions.

From what I gather, the mission of the American Chess Foundation is to serve as an information clearinghouse for the promotion of chess. While the Foundation cannot offer financial support to every school that approaches them for help, they said that they would be eager to help provide information to people interested in organizing their own chess-in-the-schools projects.

[The information about the Berkeley, CA, chess in the schools program and the American Chess Foundation's "chess-in-the-schools" project was gleaned from an article by Michael Bassett in the 08/12/93 issue of Education Daily, "Chess Programs Build Self-Esteen, Reading Skills of At-Risk Kids]

Phil Shapiro
Internet: pshapiro@his.com

Victory for Anand – Undefeated World Chess Champion 2008!

Viswanathan Anand defends and keeps his title!

In Game 11 of this exciting event, it took 3 hours and 24 moves for this Game to end in a draw giving Anand the 1/2 point he needed to carry him on to victory!

Final Score Anand 6.5, Kramnik 4.5.

FIDE Honorary President Florencio Campomanes and Josef Resch, UEP president and match director of the World Chess Championship gave Anand his trophy on the Art and Exhibition Hall stage.

This event closed with the India’s national anthem and the FIDE anthem.

Click Here to visit the 2008 WCC Website & Check out the photo gallery by Torsten Behl.

2008 Pan American – Continental Championship (Qualifier to the 2009 FIDE World Cup)

2008 Pan American – Continental Championship (Boca Raton, Florida, USA)

This is a United States Chess Federation (USCF) , Chess Educators, and Confederation of Chess for America (CCA) event.

Currently we have 10 Countries participating – the United States of America, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.

For the U.S. Players this is a great opportunity to obtain FIDE rating, achieve norms and international titles ! Hurry, there is still time to register !

Click Here to Download 2008 Pan American Continental Registration Form.

Click Here to Make Your Hotel Reservation & Get Chess Rate.

Click Here to View a List of the Participants.

Note: You can also E-Mail Your Registration request to Registrations@chesseducators.com & BeatChess@aol.com.

Information should include: Player’s Name, Rating, FIDE titles, FIDE #, ELO FIDE, USCF # , Date of Birth, and Country . Please indicate all that apply.

Please visit the Official Tournament Website for complete event details, updates & a list of participants: www.ChessEducators.com

If you have any questions – Please contact the Tournament Organizer - Beatriz Marinello at Beatriz@ChessEducators.com.

WCC: Kramnik Wins Game 10!

Kramnik Wins Game 10 !

Vladimir Kramnik won his first game when Anand resigned the game after 29 moves. Anand now leads by 6.4. After today’s rest day, Game 11 will begin tomorrow, Oct. 29th.

You can read Game 10 Analysis by GM Amador Rodriguez by clicking on the image above.

What’s left of the schedule is as follows…

• Game 11 Wednesday October 29th
• Game 12 Friday October 31st
• Tiebreak Sunday November 2nd

Check back for more coverage !

Click here for…WCC Round 9 Game Analysis by GM Amador Rodriguez.

Game 9: Another Game Ends with a Draw – Anand Needs Only 1/2 Point to Win the World Championship!

Game 9 Ends with a Draw!

After 45 moves and five grueling hours…the game ended with a draw.

With Game 10 scheduled for today Monday October 27th, Anand now needs only 1/2 a point to win the World Championship, which means that Kramnik would have to win the remaining 3 games to achieve the Tie-Break! The Championship will be decided when one player has achieved 6.5 points – at which point , the games will end.

What’s left of the schedule is as follows…

• Game 11 Wednesday October 29th
• Game 12 Friday October 31st
• Tiebreak Sunday November 2nd

Check back to see how this exciting Championship turns out as we continue to provide you with updates!

When it becomes available we will provide the annotations of game 9 by GM Amador Rodriguez.

U.S. Chess Trust Proud Contributor of the U.S. Delegation in the World Youth Chess Championship!

The U.S. Chess Trust is a proud contributor of the U.S.Delegation in the World Youth Chess Championship!

The World Youth Championship is being held in Vung Tau, Vietnam from October 19-31, 2008. Find out more about this exciting event by visiting the Championship’s website, checking out the history of the World Youth Chess Championship, and visiting the Championship’s blog!

World Youth Chess Championship 2008 Website

World Youth Chess Championships History

World Youth Chess Championship Blog

About Vung Tau, Vietnam: Vung Tau is a peninsula with a length of 20km and a total area of 100.33 km². According to an ancient legend, Vung Tau city was called Tam Thang (three victories), signifying the garrison of three armies of the Nguyen dynasty. Later, the French came and called Cap Saint Jacques, which is mispronounced into O Cap or Cap by the Vietnamese…read more >>

Tournament Schedule:

Sunday	19 October	12:00 19:00	Arrival of Delegations Opening Ceremony
Monday	20 October	09:00 15:00	Technical Meeting 1st round
Tuesday	21 October	15:00	2nd round
Wednesday	22 October	10:00 17:00	3rd round 4th round
Thursday	23 October	15:00	5th round
Friday	24 October	15:00	6th round and Social Talent Nite
Saturday	25 October		Free day
Sunday	26 October	15:00	7th round
Monday	27 October	15:00	8th round
Tuesday	28 October	15:00	9th round
Wednesday	29 October	15:00	10th round
Thursday	30 October	10:00 18:00	11th round Closing Ceremony
Friday	31 October	12:00	Departure of Delegations

Game 8 Ends with a Draw After 39 Moves!

Game 8 Ends in a Draw After 39 moves: Anand leads 5.5 to 2.5

After today’s rest day, Game 9 will begin on Sunday, Oct. 26th. Click here to read the WCC Analysis of Game 8 by official commentator GM Amador Rodriguez.

Space vs. Earth: Earth Made it’s Move…Now it’s Greg’s Turn to Play

Earth made it’s move 8…Ne4xc3…Now it’s Greg’s turn to play.

Remember, key players in the game are the kindergarten through third grade U.S. Chess Championship Team and its chess club teammates from Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue, Wash.

The Hosts: NASA and the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF)

Check Out the Details !

The K-3 champions will select up to four possible moves on Earth’s turn. The public then will vote on the move transmitted to orbit.

The game against the public will move at a pace of one move per day on weekdays only. Play may be slower, however, because Chamitoff only makes moves when his workload permits.

The USCF will facilitate the match on its Web site at: http://www.uschess.org/nasa2008

“For the past 10 years, the International Space Station has been an important platform to learn about living in space. We’re excited to have the opportunity to engage not only young students, but the public at large in this unique chess match,” said Heather Rarick, lead flight director for the current space station mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“We hope the excitement and interest this game generates will inspire students to become interested in chess,” said USCF Executive Director Bill Hall. “Chess is a valuable tool to lead students to become interested in math and to develop critical thinking skills, objectives we focus on in our work with schools nationwide.”